FanBoyWonder

It’s Not Called The DARK Knight For Nothing

2008-07-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

FanBoyWonder has just returned from an action-packed visit with our best pal and all around Kemosabe, the climax of said visit was our screening of the new Batman film—The Dark Knight

In a word….Holy Bleep! That was an intense movie. We agreed that we both liked it but we each needed to process all that we saw in this quite long motion picture.

FanBoyWonder and Kemosabe will doing our usual Siskel & Ebert deal in a few days hence once we’ve had time to process the film and to give consideration to FanBoyWonder readers who have not yet had the chance to view the film.

However, we must warn those going to see the film that Dark Knight is NOT for young children and at some 2 ½ hours, it’s not for anyone with a weak bladder.

Meanwhile, we will mention that during Dark Knight, we saw the film trailer for the live-action Watchmen film due out early next year. In another word—Holy Bleep…two times. What we saw was in many ways the classic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons come to life. We’re looking forward to it.

During our visit to the Kemosabe family, we were privileged to be a guest at the birthday party of Kemosabe’s pride and joy Miss Jo-Jo, who turned three years old this past weekend. The birthday girl was cute as a button and FanBoyWonder was sorry that we were unable to bring our own pride and joy—Brianna The Girl Wonder—to the party but next time for sure we will get our two princesses together. Next time our vow!

We did however enjoy accompanying Kemosabe Saturday night to lovely little bar so we could watch him play with one of his two bands—Fink’s Constant, http://www.myspace.com/finksconstant a local and quite good reggae band.

The band let FanBoyWonder hang out with them and we got to be an honorary roadie as we have a decided lack of musical talent. We’ve somehow have never minded lacking musical gifts—that is until we saw the “groupies.” Ah come on! How come they get groupies??? That is NOT fair????

They could have thrown us a bone and let FanBoyWonder do a Davy Jones tambourine thing on stage just to make it look good but at least we got to say “I’m with the band” just once in our life before we die.

Thanks for a good time fellas!

We have to go to bed now as it’s been quite a while since Grandpa FBW has been out clubbing till the wee-hours of the morning.

Look for our comprehensive review of The Dark Knight coming soon.

Three words: “Why so serious????”

The Dark Knight Strikes A Cord...With Reviewers

2008-07-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

As FanBoyWonder eagerly awaits the coming of the weekend so we can hook up with our best pal and all around Kemosabe then journey to the multiplex to view the much anticipated Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight, we have noticed with great satisfaction the overwhelmingly positive reception by film reviewers.

Our excitement, already building toward a fever pitch, has been placated not at all as we read the reviews—carefully avoiding spoilers whenever possible.

Below are some samplers:

See you at the movies!

Joe Neumaier—New York Daily News

Comic-book fans may point to earlier mixtures of adult themes and real-world subtext ("X2: X-Men United," "Spider-Man 2," this year's "Iron Man"), but "The Dark Knight" is something else.

The ax-grinding, soul-churning, thought-provoking sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins" dives down and dirty into the unholy mess a society sinks to when fear is its driving force.

Without sacrificing thrills, it finds sober excitement inside the ticking time bombs people can become. It's the "Unforgiven" of superhero movies.

Kyle Smith—New York Post

The highest praise I can give a superhero movie is that it makes me forget about its 10-cent-comic-book soul. "The Dark Knight," unlike its superior predecessor, has some absurdly improbable scheming and sputtering one-liners. It also lacks the chord of ancient evil found in "Batman Begins."

Not least among the welcome features of the new edition, which ventures into shadowlands unknown to "Spider-Man" and the rest, is its references to "the bat man," a distancing touch. He's not one of us, someone you're on a first-name basis with. He is a weird loner who doesn't care what you think of him. Batman is obsessed, unrepentant and excessive. Batman is cool.

"The Dark Knight" benches a lot of weight for an action flick. It creates an experience either less fun or less silly, depending on your taste, than, say, "Iron Man."

Tim Teeman—The Times Online (UK)

The title of this new Batman is revealing: he can swoop over the city all he likes, but he gets no pleasure from meting out justice, or playing the big guy. This is one gloomy superhero whose navel gazing is accentuated by his glottal, laryngitis-like growl.

The genius of The Dark Knight is that Christopher Nolan, the film’s director, producer and co-writer (with brother Jonathan) has not only produced a stunning, amazing comic book movie, but also one with an intellectual heart and a tough, unresolved message at its end. Nolan, who directed the last Bat-movie (Batman Begins in 2005), has a masterful grip on his hero.

Sara Vilkomerson—New York Observer

The much-buzzed-over performance of the late Heath Ledger in this lead role has propelled anticipation for the July 18 opening of The Dark Knight from regular fanboy excitement into full-throated frenzy.

Don’t be fooled by the PG-13 rating: The Dark Knight is no kids’ movie. Rather, it’s a terrifically bleak affair—as weighty, dark and complex as it is thrilling to watch. In fact, the film is a closer relation—and not just i n running time—to last year’s feel-bad Best Picture nominees, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, than to fellow superhero summer blockbusters like Iron Man, Hellboy II or Hancock.

Though the bad guy might wear purple pants and streaked clowny makeup, and our hero likes to don a bat mask and cape, the issues this film grapples with—identity, incomprehensible violence, a society living in terror—feel awfully familiar, and urgent.

David Ansen—Newsweek

Even darker and more relentlessly serious than "Batman Begins," Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" pits the troubled superhero (Christian Bale) against his most troubling foe—the Joker. As played by the late Heath Ledger, with tangled greasy hair, grotesque white makeup, darting mad eyes and an obscene tongue that keeps licking his slashed, painted-on smile, this Joker is an agent of chaos so arbitrarily evil he strikes terror not just in his foes, but in the mobsters who hire him to eliminate Gotham City's caped crusader.

It's a stupendously creepy performance, wild but never over the top. He cuts a figure so dangerous that you wonder if Batman is up to the task—or if our hero himself will have to become as ruthless as his foe. When you're fighting an enemy who plays by no rules, do you have to abandon your own moral code to vanquish him?

Nolan dispenses with the stylized Gothic sets we're accustomed to in the series: he makes no attempt to hide the fact that Gotham City is modern Chicago. Gone, too, is the antic sense of humor that Tim Burton brought to the show. There's not a touch of lightness in Bale's taut, angst-ridden superhero, and as the two-and-a-half-hour movie enters its second half, the unvarying intensity and the sometimes confusing action sequences take a toll. You may emerge more exhausted than elated. Nolan wants to prove that a superhero movie needn't be disposable, effects-ridden junk food, and you have to admire his ambition. But this is Batman, not "Hamlet." Call me shallow, but I wish it were a little more fun.

With all due respect to Mr. Ansen and to quote the immortal Don Rickles—“That’s your opinion and you’re annoying me.”

By Kirk Honeycutt—The Hollywood Reporter

The Dark Knight" is pure adrenaline. Returning director Christopher Nolan, having dispensed with his introspective, moody origin story, now puts the Caped Crusader through a decathlon of explosions, vehicle flips, hand-to-hand combat, midair rescues and pulse-pounding suspense.

Nolan is one of our smarter directors. He builds movies around ideas and characters, and "Dark Knight" is no exception. The ideas here are not new to the movie world of cops and criminal, but in the context of a comic book movie, they ring out with startling clarity. In other words, you expect moralistic underpinnings in a Martin Scorsese movie; in a Batman movie, they hit home with renewed vigor.

Peter Travers—Rolling Stone

Heads up: a thunderbolt is about to rip into the blanket of bland we call summer movies. The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's absolute stunner of a follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins, is a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. But Nolan is just warming up. There's something raw and elemental at work in this artfully imagined universe.

Striking out fr om his Batman origin story, Nolan cuts through to a deeper dimension. Huh? Wha? How can a conflicted guy in a bat suit and a villain with a cracked, painted-on clown smile speak to the essentials of the human condition? Just hang on for a shock to the system. The Dark Knight creates a place where good and evil — expected to do battle — decide instead to get it on and dance. "I don't want to kill you," Heath Ledger's psycho Joker tells Christian Bale's stalwart Batman. "You complete me." Don't buy the tease. He means it.

Justin Chang—Variety

With the Bruce Wayne/Batman backstory firmly established, “The Dark Knight” fans out to take a broader perspective on Gotham City -- portrayed as a seething cauldron of interlocking power structures and criminal factions in the densely layered but remarkably fleet screenplay by helmer Nolan and brother Jonathan (stepping in for “Batman Begins’” David S. Goyer, who gets a story credit).

Using five strongly developed characters to anchor a drama with life-or-death implications for the entire metropolis, the Nolans have taken Bob Kane’s comic book template and crafted an anguished, eloquent meditation on ideas of justice and power, corruption and anarchy and, of course, the need for heroes like Batman -- a question never in doubt for the viewer, but one posed rather often by the citizens of Gotham.

Hulk Film Franchise Smashed?

2008-07-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Riddle us this fanboys & girls,

What does The Incredible Hulk and Superman Returns have in common?

Each comic book character film was neither a sequel nor exactly a re-boot but were kind of remakes but each felt as if they were on very familiar storytelling ground.

These comic book film franchise echoes were in some ways as good as their predecessors (while decidedly NOT in other ways) but not quite better—or at least better enough to satisfy fans who wanted something new, not just different.

Superman Returns didn’t quite fail at the box office but it underperformed because audiences found it underwhelming when compared to the original Richard Donner-directed Superman film.

Now it would seem that this summer’s Incredible Hulk staring Edward Norton is on track to suffer the same non-success as suffered by the Ang Lee-directed 2003 HULK staring Eric Bana.

A Hollywood Reporter story by Carl DiOrio (picked up by Reuters’ wire service where we read it) speculates that the odds of a sequel to Incredible Hulk (which would make for a THIRD Hulk film) are looking pretty long based on the anemic box office returns so far this summer.

From DiOrio’s article:

“Five years ago, "Hulk," the first movie based on Marvel's hulking green comic book character, rang up $245 million in worldwide box office but was widely dismissed as a commercial failure. The second attempt, "The Incredible Hulk," amped up the fun factor and dialled down the brooding of director Ang Lee's original but is unlikely to gross significantly higher than its predecessor and might not spawn a sequel. And it's been dubbed a success.

“After four weekends, the Louis Leterrier-directed "The Incredible Hulk" has earned $125 million, the same as what "Hulk" had pulled in at the same time in its run. "Hulk" finished with $132 million, and its successor is unlikely to do much better.

“Its foreign rollout is still in progress, with comics-friendly Japan among the territories the remake has yet to bow, but it appears likely that the Edward Norton starrer will struggle to reach $130 million internationally. The first film tallied $113.2 million overseas.

“Despite the similarity of the Hulk films' theatrical runs, industryites suggest the lighter tone of the second film makes it more the vehicle to generate sequels, and some suggest the remake will prove a more lucrative DVD title than the Eric Bana-starring original. On the other hand, production costs and marketing expenses were steeper the second time around, totaling more than $200 million. The first film cost about $150 million to make.”

To put things in perspective, Iron Man has earned more than $560 million at the box office world wide.

FanBoyWonder hopes the folks at Warner Brothers are taking notice and trying to learn the lessons of the Hulk mistake as they prepare the Superman Returns sequel The Man of Steel.

FanBoyWonder Film Spotlight: The Dark Knight

2008-07-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

The fanboy summer film festival reaches critical mass one week from today as the much anticipated Batman flick The Dark Knight hits theatres all over Gotham and from sea to shining sea.

FanBoyWonder began looking forward to this sequel to Batman Begins from the moment the houselights came up at the movies in 2005. From everything we’ve seen and heard thus far, it will have been WELL worth the wait.

Here’s the Upshot from Warner Brothers: “Batman (Christian Bale) raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective but soon they find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham known as The Joker (the late Heath Ledger).”

We have been hearing nothing but good buzz about Dark Knight and not just from the usual suspects in Fanboy Nation but throughout the mainstream media as well.

Case in Point—Time magazine’s Richard Corliss:

“[Dark Knight director Christopher] Nolan has a more subversive agenda. He wants viewers to stick their hands down the rat hole of evil and see if they get bitten. With little humor to break the tension, The Dark Knight is beyond dark,” writes Corliss. “It's as black—and teeming and toxic—as the mind of the Joker. Batman Begins, the 2005 film that launched Nolan's series, was a mere five-finger=2 0exercise. This is the full symphony.”

Now that’s what we’re talking about!!!

Christian Bale returns as the title character, as does Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon—this time it’s Lt. Gordon, a bump up from Sgt. Gordon in Batman Begins but not yet “Commissioner” Gordon in this character’s future.

Both Bale and Oldman are dead bang perfect in their parts. Even if they only give us more of the same, we’ll be happy but these are performers with serious acting chops and we would be surprised not it all to see them both rise to the occasion and take it to the next level.

Bale makes it look easy playing both Bruce Wayne AND Batman to perfection. Bale IS Bruce Wayne when it a suit and he’s the Dark Knight when the cowl comes on.

Yet particularly praise worthy is the viscerally intense portrayal of The Joker by the late-Heath Ledger that we’ve seen in the teaser clips.

We admit that long before Ledger’s untimely death earlier this year, we had doubts about his being cast as the Joker. That is until last summer when Warner Brothers released the first teaser trailer which was little more than audio with the Bat-Symbol on the screen.

When we heard Ledger as the Joker—in our mind’s eye we didn’t see Caesar Romero or Jack Nicholson, we saw The Killing Joke, death with a smile, Bat-s**t crazy Joker directly from the comics.

Aaron Eckhart is on board The DK as District Attorney Harvey Dent, helping Batman and Gordon clean up the corrupt from top-to-bottom Gotham, until as we all tragically know, evil claims him and Dent becomes Two-Face.

In other casting news, Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as Assistant District Attorney and Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend Rachel Dawes. We were glad to hear that the filmmakers were replacing the actress and not the character for the sequel.

Batman has never had a Lois Lane per se but the filmmakers saw fit to write one in to this Bruce Wayne’s life in Batman Begins. Consistency is important and by sticking with the character, it says that Nolan and company are committed to a character-driven drama that’s punctuated by costumed battles and not the other way around.

While it is all too fashionable to crap all over Katie Holmes and while we did find her performance in Batman Begins underwhelming, she didn’t seriously detract from the film either. We hope that Maggie Gyllenhaal can take things to a new level.

Rounding out the casting is Michael Caine as Bruce Wayne’s loyal manservant Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, CEO of Bruce Wayne’s company and Batman’s go-to gadget guy. These two master thespians class up the joint just by showing up for work.

However, like the man said, this is a DARK, grown up film. It’s ironic that what looks like the purest interpretation for comic book character to the big screen would be decidedly inappropriate for young children.

It may be a super-hero film but this isn’t kid stuff, which is why 7-year-old Brianna The Girl Wonder will NOT be seeing the seriously PG-13 Dark Knight anytime soon even as FanBoyWonder’s inner 7-year-old will be viewing each and every frame in total rapture.

The Dark Knight opens Friday, July 18. Check out the official website for more info http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com and we’ll see you at the movies.

Final Crisis + Fan Dissatisfaction = Pile-On DC Comics????

2008-07-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

(Who is the REAL villain of DC Comics’ Final Crisis? Is it the arch-criminal Libra, is it DC Management and the minds behind this most recent DC “event” or is it the grumpy, often complaining but still money-spending fanboy or girl????)

Has the dissatisfaction and perhaps even disgust at DC Comics’ most recent offerings among a (VERY) vocal contingent of fans (and FanBoyWonders) gotten so out of hand that it’s not only become counterproductive as a change agent but contrary to the readers’ ultimate desire for quality storytelling at DC Comics?

That in a nutshell is what Ryan from Film Fodder Comics www.filmfodder.com/comics/archives/2008/07/post_5.shtml is asking in his most excellent essay titled “Final Crisis—I Heart Continuity.”

Ryan—who also writes a cool blog called League of Melbotis http://www.leagueofmelbotis.com/ –posed some hard questions which we will attempt to address here.

While we strongly encourage any and all those interested to read Ryan’s essay for themselves at Film Fodder Comics—we will be excerpting relevant portions of his essay here as we attempt to address his points.

It’s not our intent to distort his point by omission so we do encourage you to read his essay in full, then come back here for our Two Dollar and 99 Cents.

Also a programming note—because we have also answered Ryan in his own forum--I’m suspending FanBoyWonder’s delightful little penchant of speaking in the third person for the duration of this post.

The Upshot of Ryan’s point comes in the early paragraphs:

“To the casual observer (the non-superhero reading public) there's not much to distinguish Marvel from DC. In fact, it’s fairly routine that some press coverage botches who publishes what in fluff stories on Spider-Man, etc... But in the comic-concerned interwebs, those of us who watch these things know that the nation is not really split along party lines. We're really divided between Marvel and DC.

“And DC of 2008 is the the Democratic Party of 2004.

“What should be an appealing package of standard comic book ideas is being drowned out in a wicked combination of mediocre product and deafening internet chatter. The "John Kerry hates Freedom" of 2004 is DC's "DC's event comics should be able to be summarized in a single sentence" of 2008. Say it often enough and stay on message, and somehow it becomes true. Even when its not.”

The following below is a longer version of the abbreviated answer that I provided Ryan in his own forum. (Waste not want not when it comes to good blog material Mama FanBoyWonder always said.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hey Ryan,

Great post. This is the first chance I’ve had to reply but I’ve had it on the brain since I read your essay yesterday.

I hear what you are saying and all of the public bitching and moaning (which I am a part—I fully admit it) perhaps isn’t helping and perhaps it’s even emboldening DC Management to get their back up and to press forward.

But other than complaining, the only alternative course of action for fans/customers to take is to sheath their wallets and stop buying comic books (or at least DC comic books)—something that once seemed inconceivable but not it’s….NOT impossible.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“This isn't to dismiss disgruntled fans when DC does make a mistake. Countdown was an egregious miscalculation, and I'm still waiting for a substantial apology. But picking on DC has become so commonplace, it’s a wonder if there's any signal to noise at this point that it’s a genuine question whether the hapless DC staffers who bother to read this stuff can actually glean any useful information.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Personally, I think it goes back even farther to Infinite Crisis and especially the final issue in which they released with UNFINISHED ART! But your main point stands. Emotion does factor a lot into this.

To me, I sense an undeniable undercurrent of smarmy-know-it-all-ism from DC Management that not only doesn’t acknowledge quality control issues, but insists on berating the “customer” for not wanting to buy what they are selling.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“The supposed failure of "Final Crisis" was chalked up not so much to sales figures, but to narrative problems. Online critics have bashed Final Crisis for a few reasons.

(a) the story is too complicated and should be summed up in a single sentence
(b) The story is steeped in continuity
(i) which I more or less followed, whether it was necessary to the plot or not, but I'd like to register my indignation, anyway
(ii) won't someone think of the children? This could be their very first comic, and they'd be so very, very confused.

“I confess to being a bit flabbergasted by the first criticism of "Final Crisis". It is true that Hollywood exists thanks to high-concept ideas, plus attractive women, plus explosions. The insistence that the reason "Secret Invasion" is selling so well, while "Final Crisis" is supposedly not (Secret Invasion outsold Final crisis by about 40,000 copies. Bully for Marvel on their success), is the one sentence concept.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The trouble is that Marvel took the trouble to SELL the reader on Secret Invasion by deploying the “one sentence concept.” DC by contrast, let us know a year ago that Final Crisis was coming but made no real effort to convince to read it—only that we had to read the main title and ALL of the companion titles.

At the heart of DC ‘s non-selling selling point is “Trust us! This isn’t like all of the other times,” which for many fans is hard to swallow after Infinite Crisis, 52/World War III, Countdown and its many headed spin-offs that didn’t turn out to be count.

Add to that an economy that’s in a (in fact if not in name) inflation, and taking the leap of faith with DC Final Crisis seems more like walking off a cliff.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“A lot of these criticisms also appeared during the first issue of the series, which was more or less prologue to the main action of the series. Perhaps Morrison should have turned up the heat for the first issue, but this reader can't help buy wonder if those other reviewers were jumping to conclusions about a comic which they hadn't seen to even partial completion. How would any work in any other medium stand up to criticism if the reviewer wrote their review based upon the first few minutes?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I’m afraid I must totally disagree with you here Ryan. Yours would be a not unfair point except that the comics publisher demands money--$3.99—for each “chapter.” The moment money changes hands, it becomes fair game for criticism and it really isn’t unreasonable to expect each issue to stand alone—at least enough to be a satisfying read—while building to a greater whole.

Battlestar Galactica or Lost or some such may have an ultimate ending but if viewers are satisfied with individual episodes, they will stop watching and the show will be canceled in short order. And the only thing a television viewer is requires to spend per episode is time.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“By clamoring for one sentence plots, readers of super hero comics are selling themselves short. Not all stories need to be told like an 80's Simpson/ Bruckheimer movie, or fit neatly into packages that will do little but give the audience action-story comfort food with a plot they can recite from beginning to end without seeing a single page.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

That is a definite danger. But I also think that it –at least in part—has been due to a self inflicted wound. Comic book storytelling got so grown up, so smart that we may have outsmarted ourselves.

Remember back in the day when there were “Editor’s notes” and/or one-or-two-or three panels of exposition bringing readers up to speed as to what happened previously? This used to be standard operating procedure at DC and especially Marvel.

Why no Editor’s notes? Perhaps because today’s editor has been rendered all but irrelevant by the writers star system where he wants to tell his story and his story alone regardless of what came before or after and publishers that publish not for the individual “floppy” reader but for the Barnes and Noble’s coffee sipping Trade Paper Back reader.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“To some degree, 'Final Crisis' is taking more than its fair share of lumps because of the horrendous transition between "Countdown", "Death of the New Gods" and "Final Crisis". And it seems that the dual edged sword of the Mega-Narrative of the DCU's Continuity is that Morrison's series must carry the albatross of the series which preceded it. And the appropriate levels of scorn heaped upon both."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You are right. I’ve made no bones about the fact that I’m judging Final Crisis not just on its own merits but am I really at fault for that? DC is counting on Final Crisis (vainly I fear) to act as a counterweight to the plethora of failures occurred in a short period of time.

Face if, and the operative word is “if” Final Crisis does become a run away hit and win over skeptical fans (believe or not I’m still trying to keep and open mind—provided they can win me with my having to purchase nothing but the main FC title) all will, if not forgotten but at least forgiven.

Ryan you took the time to craft a well thought out essay. I agree with some and (as you can see) disagree elsewhere. The thing is I think you are right. But the hell of it is, I’m right too.

Maybe we should just reset the clock to January 1986 immediately following the Crisis on Infinite Earths and re-start the DC Universe all over again—again.

FanBoyWonder Television Spotlight—The Return of Burn Notice

2008-07-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long damn time in coming but FanBoyWonder is pleased to announce the arrival this Thursday of the second season of our favorite summer show—Burn Notice on the USA Cable Network.

From the moment we spied it (pun intended) last summer, we knew that Burn Notice would not only be one of the best shows of the summer television season but we quickly came to regard the show as some of the most original and innovative television to come along in a long time.

Great characters, clever writing and the right amount of action—the trifecta right there.

Here’s Upshot on Burn Notice from the show’s Facebook page (swear to God) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Burn-Notice/7750605107:

“Most people would be thrilled to be on the warm, beautiful sands of South Beach. However, Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) is not ‘most people.’ He's got a pesky FBI tail, a violence prone ex-girlfriend looking for closure, and a hypochondriac mother calling him 30 times a day. Yet these are the least of his problems.

“After 10 years of serving his country working in Eastern Europe and the OPEC countries as a covert operative, Michael is living every spy's worst nightmare. While in the middle of a dangerous mission in Nigeria, Michael's "contact" informs him that he has been burned. When a spy gets fired, he doesn't get a call from human resources and a gold watch. In Michael's case, they jeopardize his life, freeze his bank accounts, dump him in Miami, and flag him on every government list known to man. They can't take away his skills or what's in his head, so they take away his assets and his resources to make sure he can never work again. They burn him

“Now Michael has a much different mission: he must find out who issued his burn notice and why he was blacklisted so that he can put his life back together. Meanwhile, he has to fend off a suddenly hostile world of old foes gunning for him. In order to survive in Miami and fund his own personal investigation, Michael enlists the help of the only two ‘friends’ he has: Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) an ex-IRA operative who also happens to be an ex-girlfriend and Sam (Bruce Campbell) a washed-out military intelligence contact whom the feds have keeping an eye on Michael. He's also forced to deal with the family he went halfway around the world to get away from - particularly his mother, Madeline (Sharon Gless), who couldn't be happier to have her son back in town.

“Michael, on the other hand, is happiest when he is in a different hemisphere from the rest of his family. He was 17 when he left home to join the military and he never turned back. Now stuck in Miami, the one place he vowed never to return to, he must confront the bad memories of his childhood and repair the broken relationships he left behind.

“As he gets closer to the truth, Michael scrapes by helping out whoever needs his services -- mostly desperate people who can't go to the police. Using his Special Ops training, some duct tape and his sardonic humor, Michael becomes a reluctant hero. It's a dangerous gig, but it's the best he can do ... for now.”

From what we saw last season, Jeffrey Donovan’s Michael Westen has serious (if not yet totally fulfilled) potential as one of THE great television characters.

Westen is a cross between 007’s James Bond and Chevy Chase’s Fletch with a healthy dose of MacGyver thrown in for good measure. Throughout each episode Donovan’s sardonic narration conveyed just the right comic bite to what could have been some pretty dark moments.

“Covert intelligence includes a lot of waiting around. Know what it’s like being a spy? It’s like sitting in your dentist’s reception area 24 hours a day—magazines, sip some coffee and every so often, someone tries to kill you.”

When we last left Michael Westen, he was about to meet with the folks who had “burned” him and we’ve been waiting all summer to see what that meeting would entail.

Word has it that the new character thrown into the mix would be Michael’s new handler “Carla” played by Battlestar Galatica’s Tricia Helfer.

“Her background is a mystery, her motives are unclear, and Michael's not even sure who she works for. All he knows is that she's a lethal combination of brains and beauty. Carla is Michael's only link to the people that burned him, and if Michael ever hopes to get his life back... he needs to find out more about her,” explains the USA Network.

That’s all we have to go on as we get to know this new character. For our part, we’re glad that Michael will have—instead of the faceless covert bogeyman on the cell phone—he’ll be dealing with his adversary face to face.

A couple points we hope to see the Burn Notice team improve upon this season include more air time for Sharon Gless as Michael’s mother Madeline who didn’t have much to do last season except be a hostage Michael had to protect.

We’re not all that crazy about Michael’s deadbeat brother Nate (Seth Peterson) who does nothing but screw up and put Michael in harm’s way but we’re willing to give the writers another chance to make us like the guy.

The one big flaw from last season was the A-plot/B-plot format of the show whereas Michael would do an “Equalizer”-like job for someone in need while the B-plot would continue to (all too slowly ) unravel the mystery of Michael’s burn notice.

The thing is, if we liked Michael’s clients that week, we were glued to the TV for the episode but if we didn’t care for those who needed his help, it could be a long hour.

While we do like Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), Michael’s trigger-happy ex-girlfriend, we really love Michael’s buddy Sam played by the awesome Bruce Campbell. Sam surprised us by evolving into someone with a lot more iron as the season progressed.

Sam may be a washed up drinking gigolo but he can still kick ass and he is (mostly) loyal to his pal Michael. Yet Sam’s best scenes come when he is tamed up with Fiona who have grown to tolerate, if not grudgingly respect each other, for the sake of Michael—think of them of the George and Elaine of the cover ops ass-kickers.

Burn Notice will air throughout the summer on Thursday at 10 p.m. (eastern) on the USA Network. The Season One DVD is in stores now and you find out more from the official website www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice. It’s worth checking out.

Final Crisis #1 “Directors Cut Special”—Are They F*&king Kidding??????

2008-07-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

It’s amazing the things that can make one’s blood boil. Here FanBoyWonder was at home enjoying our last day of vacation before we have to jump back into the work-week grind when we came across a most surprising “coming attraction” on the DC Comics website listing of the August comic books.

Among the ubiquitous Final Crisis crossovers designed to broaden the reading experience of DC Comics’ latest “event” (as well as to drain more money from average fanboy and fangirl’s coin purse) is something that at first we thought had to be a joke—Final Crisis #1 Director’s Cut Special.

“Are they f$#king kidding???” That’s a quote verbatim of the words that escaped our lips at a higher than indoor voice level when we read this on our computer screen.

Unfortunately for Grandpa FanBoyWonder, Brianna The Girl Wonder was just a few feet away from us watching her Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel (Hey—forget water boarding. The boys at Gitmo should try playing 24/7 of just “tween” television programming—the prisoners will tell you ANYTHING you want to know after Hour 8, just to make it stop) when we uttered our “bad word.”

It didn’t take us that long to recover from being chastised by a 7-year-old girl before we were good and mad again (although in a much quieter way) at this nakedly absurd attempt by DC at—pardon our French—polishing a turd. Worse, they are marketing it as if they are doing us a favor.

Here’s the Upshot from DC Comics: “Come on a guided tour of DC's FINAL CRISIS #1 and become further enveloped in the event of the century. Delve deep into the mind-blowing first issue as we explore what every page and panel represents, and the process behind the story as Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones reveal secrets hidden in the script and art.”

In case you are wondering, FC “Directors Cut” is 64 pages and will cost you $4.99 (“a fool and his money are soon parted”) while the original Final Crisis #1 was $3.99 and 40 pages.

Are we wrong in thinking that readers should NOT have to pay ANOTHER $4.99 to have explained to us what should have been SELF-EVIDENT in the story from the start????

Bad enough when the trade press rump-swabs at Newsarama or Wizard would sycophantically “interview” Dan DiDio or some DC editor so they could explain and answer reader questions as to just what exactly happened in the latest issue of Infinite Crisis/52/Countdown/Trinity. Now they expect us to pay for it????

Memo to Dan DiDio, Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones—Please don’t p**s down our leg and tell us it’s raining.

Our best pal Kemosabe summed it up more succinctly—“That’s just offensive.”

Does anybody think we’re wrong-headed on this? Come on…we can take it.

FanBoyWonder’s ‘Special’ Way To Save Jericho

2008-07-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

The website SyFyPortal http://www.syfyportal.com/news425161.html is reporting that an effort is underway to get the brilliant but (twice) canceled CBS action drama Jericho staring Skeet Ulrich made on the big screen as a major motion picture.

As you may or may not be aware, CBS—the one-time “Tiffany Network”—brought back the once-canceled Jericho this past winter for an abbreviated seven-episode second season following a massive, well publicized and we have to admit brilliantly unorthodox viewer revolt in which CBS was inundated with peanuts as a protest to the network suits.

Jericho was unexpectedly canceled mid-cliffhanger at the end of the 2006-07 viewing season, brought back again this year and canceled once more following low ratings—this despite widespread critical acclaim and significant media coverage of the show’s return.

Here’s a Jericho Recap thanks to Wikipedia: “The storyline centers on the residents of Jericho, a small, rural Kansas town, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States. The series begins with a visible nuclear detonation of unknown origin over nearby Denver, Colorado, and a loss of power and modern communications, effectively isolating Jericho. Later, power is restored to Jericho by what is alluded to as the efforts of the U.S. government, but soon after, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) disables all electronics.

“Several themes regularly addressed in the show included the gathering of information, community identity, public order, limited resources, the value of family, hardships of fatherhood and internal and external threats. The show also features several mysteries involving the backgrounds of major characters, the perpetrators of the attack, and the extent of damage to the United States and its government.

“The pivotal character in this story is Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich), the 32-year-old son of Mayor Johnston Green (Gerald McRaney), who briefly returns home to visit his family and friends before becoming stranded as a result of the catastrophe. After a somewhat awkward return home and a tense reunion with his father, Jake steps up to become a leader in Jericho, fighting to protect the town and its citizens. As the people of Jericho struggle to survive in a changed world, most remain unaware that one of the newest residents, Robert Hawkins (Lennie James), knows much more about the attacks than he lets on.”

In addition to the move to produce Jericho: The Movie, there is a separate effort by seriously dedicated fans to seek a long-shot cancellation reversal for a third season of Jericho.

They mean business as the group www.savejerichoagain.com has raised enough money to produce and air a Save Jericho in select television markets throughout these Allied States of America.

As regular FanBoyWonder readers know, we were quite late jumping on the Jericho bandwagon and we make no bones about it. While vaguely aware of the show during the first season, shortly before the second season earlier this year, we caught a marathon of the first four Jericho episodes on the Sci-Fi channel, became hooked immediately, and caught up on the first season as quick as we could thanks to the CBS website.

Hey Sci-Fi Channel….what happened to the rest of the episodes? They canceled the series but that shouldn’t you from airing the re-runs that you already bought and paid for.

Bad enough you screwed us by holding the Final Episodes of Battlestar Galactica until 2009 but geez…you play re-runs of the under-rated, long-canceled Star Trek Enterprise religiously every week—how about making some room for Jericho in the bullpen? But we digress.

Let us reiterate that—in our humble opinion—Jericho Season 1 is some of the finest television we have ever seen, hands down. Every single episode of the 22 episode season was top shelf from acting to scripting to visually.

Jericho Season 2—returning some 18 months later—was only half as good. This was NOT just because it was a shorted season but because the show lost all of its storytelling momentum (it was DEAD after all), its original band of writers had moved on to other jobs and because the show’s moral center— Gerald McRaney had been killed off at the end of Season One.

Still, a half is good Jericho is still better than three-fourths of the shows out there (two words—“Bionic Woman”. There we said it).

Suffice to say that FanBoyWonder drank the Jericho, liked the bittersweet taste, and drank some more.

So to serious Jericho die hards out there reading this—please take this as the word of a friend when we say that the odds of Jericho hitting the big screen are about the same as Jericho Season 3 being green-lit by CBS or even by a smaller cable network—Slim-to-None and Slim just left Bailey’s Tavern on the way out of town ahead of the mushroom cloud.

Even if by some Herculean effort one or the other did happen, neither a movie or a third season would be the Jericho we all know and loved.

Jericho The Movie by virtue of its format might, and the operative word here is MIGHT have a bigger budget but it would NOT be a character drama as was the show’s main strength.

Furthermore, how many people realistically would go out and spend $7 to $10 or more at the multiplex to see the film version of a low-rated television show they may nor may not have heard of (okay there is Star Trek but that’s lighting in a bottle).

On the other hand, Jericho Season 3 would, by necessity, have an even leaner budget, which would mean even fewer characters/actors would return and/or crappy production values.

Either way, the magic would be gone and it would be a shadow of the true Jericho.

A ‘Special’ Appeal To Tom Selleck

FanBoyWonder proposes a third way—Jericho The Special television movie event (No wait, hear us out!).

In the same periodic movie format, CBS airs the Jesse Stone series (based on the novels by Robert B. Parker) staring Tom Selleck—so far four have aired with a fifth in production to air later this year—CBS could do the same with Jericho Specials.

Tom Selleck’s Jesse Stone series itself is a bastardization of the format used by the BBC’s Prime Suspect (staring Dame Helen Mirren) which just recently wrapped some 15 years worth of periodic television movie episodes.

CBS could produce and broadcast Jericho TV Specials—movies that are action-packed and self-contained stories but that also further character grown and build off the continuity and history of the series and each previous TV movie.

Tom Selleck—Jesse Stone executive producer as well as star and a guy with CBS Head-honcho Les Moonves’ ear—should get on board with the concept of Jericho Specials (we humbly suggest).

What’s in it for Tom Selleck? Well, Tom Selleck if CBS should broadcast another series in the same periodic format, it would only bolster Tom Selleck’s/Jesse Stone’s long-term prospects and not make Tom Selleck’s series such a lone-wolf in the network wilderness.

Tom Selleck, FanBoyWonder calls upon the power of Google Finder Tom Selleck to send this blog posting Tom Selleck’s way and humbly ask Tom Selleck to heed our words.

And hey Tom Selleck, please keep those Jesse Stone movies coming Tom Selleck—you’re the TOPS Tom Selleck (Do you think we said Tom Selleck’s name enough times for it to work TOM SELLECK???).

Anyway, Jericho might not be able to sustain a weekly appointment television audience to satisfy Mr. Nielson but rallying the loyal viewership and recruiting some newcomers to view a two-hour movie once or twice a calendar year is doable (TOM SELLECK).

Added bonus: A TV movie format would free the Jericho cast (starving actors all) to look for other work while allowing them the flexibility to come back and reprise their roles for these reunion specials.

Perpetually on the bubble, Team Jericho would have the freedom to produce each TV movie as if it were their last—unless or until the ratings render the final verdict.

Our suggestion for the first (of hopefully many) Jericho specials, follow up on the events at the end of Season 2 and play out the Second American Civil War but from Jericho’s perspective as the town seeks to free itself from the shackles of the “Allied States of America.”

Hey CBS big honcho Les Moonves—if you green-light this effort to SAVE JERICHO AGAIN, we will watch it and we promise to bring friends. Who is with us (TOM SELLECK)??????

Cabin Fever, Super Patriots and Happy Birthday America

2008-07-04T11:28:00.001-07:00

FanBoyWonder would like to salute our faithful readers this Independence Day and hope that everyone is enjoying this fine 4th of July.

Our apologies for our unexplained absence the past couple of days in case you were looking for us. FBW took the whole family plus our good friend Doctor Bill—who is practically family to us all—to Doctor Bill’s cabin in the woods of West Virginia for a nice relaxing couple of days by the river away from it all.

Turns out is was more “away” than we had intended as when we got there the phone lines were down, as was the satellite television hook up.

The TV satellite came online by the middle of the first evening (Thank God) but phone service to the cabin stayed down for the duration of our visit, hence no dial-out Internet and forget wi-fi as we had to ride half a mile into a clearing just to get a cell phone signal.

So we had to “rough it” with only 500 channels perhaps no Internet was a blessing in disguise as we all had time to really enjoy the cabin and the outdoors.

Brianna The Girl Wonder certainly loved it. T.J. The Wonder Lad had fun but at 7 months old, you can have fun anywhere. Grandpa had some extended quality time with T.J. the first morning as everyone was asleep and our streak in avoiding diaper changing ended when the lad left us a pretty spectacular “present.”

Yet Grandpa FBW DID manage to relax with a couple mile-long walks to the general store and back in the morning at first light for a newspaper and some time to reflect as we viewed the mountains, heard the river and communed with nature.

Better yet, we got much better at just doing nothing—we sat in a chair facing the river, watching it placidly float down stream as we read our newspapers then caught up on about three weeks worth of comic books we had backlogged—taking a nap here and there.

As we are back home everyone else in the house is sleeping except for FanBoyWonder and Brianna The Girl Wonder who immediately found her friends and is her room playing with them.

Yet since this is a comic book blog, let’s tie it all together by sharing with you a recurring thought as we watched the news about the never-ending electoral food-fight called Campaign 2008.

Cap for President???—We Should Be So Lucky!

Our mind kept drifting back to the instant classic “Cap for President” story from Captain America #250 (1980) by Roger Stern and John Byrne where an independent third party attempted to draft Captain America as their candidate for President of the United States.

As rumors of a Cap presidential run hit the media, much of the issue consisted of the general public and Marvel Universe’s reaction and serious consideration of a Super Solider President, even as Cap himself is bewildered that people—including his fellow Avengers—are even taking the notion seriously.

At the end of the issue, Cap addresses a crowd of supporters and explains why he can’t be a candidate—we repeat it below in its entirety:

“I have given much thought…to those stories…and to the public discussion they inspired. I have had to face the question of whether or not I should be a candidate for President of the United States.

“I gave this much thought…and I have come to my decision.

“The Presidency is one of the most important jobs in the world. The holder of that office must represent the best interests of an entire nation.

“…I have worked and fought all my life for the growth and advancement of the American Dream. And I believe that my duty to the DREAM would severely limit any abilities I might have to preserve the reality.

“We must all live in the real world…and sometimes that world can be pretty grim. But it is the dream…the hope…that makes the reality worth living.

“In the early 1940s, I made a personal pledge to uphold the dream…and as long as the dream remains even partially unfulfilled, I cannot abandon it.

“And so I hope you can understand….that in all fairness, I cannot be your candidate.

“You need to look within yourselves to find the people you need to keep this nation strong…and God willing, to help make the dream come true.”

Nearly 30-years later, those words mean so much more now, especially as we look up into the “real world” and observe the brass-knuckle, clusterf**k, clowns-in-a- Volkswagen process of picking our next President of The United States.

Yet, as much as a circus or sporting event as it seems to have become, there is no place we would rather live than the United States of America.

'Last Full Measure of Devotion'

Even as today is the U.S.A.’s 232nd Birthday, today also marks the 145th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. Gettysburg is arguably the turning point of the War Between The States.

It is perhaps the outcome of that great battle that determined that we would remain one bloodied but stronger (if imperfect) nation rather than two (or more) fractured American provinces.

We close this posting with some of the wisest words ever spoken—Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address—delivered Nov. 19, 1863.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. “

'Nuff said....except for this--God Bless America!

FanBoyWonder’s Review Of Final Crisis #2

2008-07-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

While we just KNOW that the entire comics blogosphere has been waiting at the edge of their collective seats down in mom’s basement waiting for FanBoyWonder’s review of the second installment of Final Crisis and we’re sorry to cause unnecessary anxiety but FanBoyWonder has been on vacation.

Yesterday we took Brianna The Girl Wonder on her very first trip to Washington, D.C. (expect a future blog posting on our misadventure as soon as the pictures come back) and tonight we are packing for a family getaway-from-it-all at a friend’s cabin in the woods.

Yet we realize if we don’t speak now, we should ever hold our peace on this latest “event” from DC Comics. So here we go from the shot-gun formation.

The Upshot From DC Comics: Meet Japan's number one pop culture heroes, the Super Young Team and their languid leader, Most Excellent Superbat! Join legendary wrestler Sonny Sumo and super escape artist Mister Miracle as they team to face the offspring of the Anti-Life Equation! See Earth's superheroes mourn one of their oldest allies! Witness costumed criminals sinking to new depths of cowardice and depravity as Libra takes things too far! Uncover the doomsday secrets of the poisoned city of Blüdhaven! Learn the shocking identity of the prime suspect in the murder of a god! And read on if you dare as Batman becomes the first of Earth's champions to face the Fallen of Apokolips. All this and a spectacular return from the dead...Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones' multiverse-spanning epic continues with bombshell after bombshell in FINAL CRISIS #2 — "Ticket to Blüdhaven"!

Well….Final Crisis #2 wasn’t as horrible as Final Crisis #1 was. This time we were merely under-whelmed by the events that unfolded but not outraged. We do however feel more than a tad confused for committing the apparent sin of NOT reading “Morrison’s Greatest Hits”—Seven Soldiers and the like before picking up this series.

Is THIS what it feels like for newbies trying to jump into the DC Universe following years of back-story and continuity?

Everybody else says there that is some grand concept, some big picture ideas that Morrison is working to establish here so it’s really not fair to judge Final Crisis on an issue-by-issue basis. Okay…if DC is going to take $3.99 from my wallet for each “chapter”…then that makes it fair game our not unreasonable expectation that we get to read a coherent issue.

As we noted, we are wary going into this latest event so Morrison and DC not only have to win us over on the strengths of this story alone but they also have to overcome their track record of f**king up just about everything since Infinite Crisis.

There are only two things we find worth noting—First the appearance of the Alpha Lanterns who come riding in roughshod over the Justice League, claiming jurisdiction and brushing off the “local yokels” Batman’s reaction to this is totally within character, if understated.

That leads into the scene where Green Lantern John Stewart is ambushed and seriously injured by a fellow Green Lantern, leaving the Alphas to arrest Hal Jordan. We can only say that John Stewart better turn out all right after this.

If this becomes some half-assed excuse to bump off the coolest but most disrespected of Earth’s Green Lanterns, we’re going to be seriously pissed off.

Second of course is the last page where we see that Barry Allen is indeed back now and racing a bullet. So they re really going to do this huh? If they are going to do it, do it right please.

Bottom Line: Despite our skepticism, we are trying to keep an open mind and actually WANT to be impressed but we are not expecting much.

R.I. P. Don S. Davis—Stargate SG-1’s General Hammond

2008-07-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

It’s seems like our little comic book, sci-fi and all around entertainment blog has felt more like the obituary page of late with all of the “R.I.P.” postings we’ve passed along but FanBoyWonder was indeed saddened to learn and wished to acknowledge of the passing of veteran character actor Don S. Davis—best known as General Hammond on the series Stargate SG-1.

FanBoyWonder is a moderately interested Stargate fan generally but we always liked the General Hammond character—part Papa Bear and part Solomon but the total straight man, especially for Richard Dean Anderson’s annoying quip of the moment.

We first remember seeing him as the dad of one of the punk characters whose name we can’t recall since we long since all-but forgot about the show. Davis, of course, played a military officer, straight arrow with the rebel, good for nothing son.

The man looked like he was born in uniform. Better yet, he looked like the kind of military man you would expect and hope to find—honest, fearless, stern but fair.

We would later see him in many other bit roles of no consequence but that is both the bane and the beauty of being a character actor. With just a few exceptional roles, if the audience notices your existence, you are doing something wrong.

While it wasn’t until Stargate SG-1 that we actually learned the man’s name, when we would see Don S. Davis in a scene, we knew that he would do at least his part (and likely more that the viewer would never see) to carry the show. That’s what character actors do.

Below we post Mr. Davis’ obit thanks to GateWorld http://gateworld.net/ with our sincere condolences to the family, friends and fans of Don S. Davis. R.I.P.

***************************************

Don S. Davis: 1942-2008

Monday - June 30, 2008 by Darren Sumner

With great sadness we must report that veteran actor Don S. Davis passed away on June 29, 2008. He was 65 years old.

Don co-starred on Stargate SG-1 for the show's first seven years, helping to launch the enduring science fiction franchise. Davis played Major General George Hammond, base commander and a father figure to many of the show's characters.

He is also well-known for his portrayal of Major Garland Briggs in Twin Peaks.

Off-screen, Don was beloved by the show's cast and crew. He departed the show in 2003 due to a medical condition that restricted his workload, but returned for several guest appearances on SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis in the following years. Don worked hard to improve his health, and continued to work both on screen and off until his death.

The following message was provided by Don's representative and his wife, Ruby Fleming-Davis:

‘Dear Fans and Friends of Don S. Davis,

So many of you have been touched by not only the work and art of Don S. Davis, but by the man himself, who always took the time to be with you at the appearances he loved, that it is with a tremendous sense of loss I must share with you that Don passed away from a massive heart attack on Sunday morning, June 29th.

‘On behalf of his family and wife, Ruby, we thank you for your prayers and condolences. A family memorial where Don's ashes will be scattered in the ocean will take place in a few weeks, and should you wish to, please make a donation to the American Heart Association in Don's memory.’

Born August 4, 1942 in Aurora, Missouri and raised there, Don received a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in theater and art from Southwest Missouri State College in 1965. He then served three years on active duty in the United States Army, entering as a Second Lieutenant. He rose to the rank of Captain and was stationed in Korea before completing his required tour of active duty.

Upon leaving the army, Don began working toward a Master's degree in theater at Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale, Illinois, and received his Master's degree in 1970. He taught at the University of British Columbia for a decade before returning to SIU to complete his coursework for a PhD in theater, receiving the degree in 1982.

Don's list of film and television credits is lengthy, dating back to 1982. He met Stargate co-star Richard Dean Anderson on the set of MacGyver, where Don worked as a stunt double for actor Dana Elcar.

When production on Stargate SG-1 began in 1997, the producers tapped Davis to play the base commander--originally written to be a by-the-book antagonist, but quickly softened by Don's own personality and experience.

In 2003 Don married his soul mate and the great love of his life, Ruby Fleming-Davis. The two have resided in British Columbia with their three dogs, Teto, Ming and Charley.

Don's off-screen career as an artist blossomed especially in the years since he left Stargate. A look at his Web site, DonSDavisArt.com, reveals his tremendous gifts in painting, drawing, and woodcarving.

Don's final Stargate appearance is in Stargate: Continuum, the SG-1 DVD movie that will be released July 29 in North America and August 18 in the United Kingdom. He will also appear in the forthcoming films "Vipers," "Woodshop," and "Far Cry," according to the Internet Movie Database.

Many fans of Don's work have had the opportunity to meet him in person, as he was also a regular face at fan conventions around the world. Fans learned that behind General Hammond was a Southern gentleman with a big heart, a no-nonsense attitude, and all the love and respect one could imagine.

Services for Don S. Davis will be small and private, in both Vancouver and Los Angeles. His Web sites will be updated this week, and his obituary has been published in the Vancouver Sun newspaper. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests that donations be made to the American Heart Association in Don's memory.

Michael Turner—R.I.P.

2008-06-28T10:33:00.001-07:00

FanBoyWonder would like to acknowledge the passing of comic book artist Michael Turner who died last night at the age of 37 following a long battle with cancer.

We confess that beyond the six-issue Supergirl story-arc from a few years ago in Superman/Batman, as well as his various covers, we weren’t thoroughly familiar with Mr. Turner’s work. We’ll also be quite honest in admitting that we weren’t his biggest fan as his vision of artistic expression did not always conform to our personal tastes.

Yet there is no denying Michael Turner’s latent talent—particularly in the eyes of his female subjects—and we regret the loss of an artist who will never now achieve his full potential.

Below is his obit in full from Comic Book Resources www.comicbookresources.com

FanBoyWonder wishes to expresses our sincere condolences to Mr. Turners family and friends.

********************************

Michael Turner Passes Away At 37

by Jonah Weiland, Executive Producer

Sat, June 28th, 2008 at 1:50AM PST
Updated: Sat, June 28th, 2008 at 2:32AM PST

We here at Comic Book Resources are very sad to report that artist Michael Turner has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 37. Aspen Comics’ Vince Hernandez told CBR News Saturday morning that Turner passed away Friday night at 10:42 Pacific Time at Santa Monica Hospital in Calfiornia. The news spread quickly at Wizard World Chicago, during what would have otherwise been a riotous night at the hotel bar, the mood suddenly turned somber with remembrances of Turner from friends and acquaintances. A minute of silence will be observed during Wizard World Chicago Saturday afternoon.

Turner is an artist best known for his work on books like “Witchblade,” where he got his start in comics, moving on to titles such as “Black Panther,” “Superman/Batman” and his very own creator owned series “Fathom” and “Soulfire” through his publishing company Aspen Comics. A prolific artist, he’s done work for both DC Comics and Marvel Comics, and has provided covers to some of the best-known comics published in the last ten years, including Brad Meltzer’s “Identity Crisis.”

In 2000, Turner was diagnosed with cancer -- chondrosarcoma in the right pelvis, which resulted in his loosing his hip, 40% of his pelvis and three pounds of bone. What followed was 9 months of radiation. The cancer has gone into remission and returned multiple times since he was first diagnosed.

For anyone who’s met Turner, they’re likely to tell you what a genuinely nice guy he was and how his spirit for life was higher than anyone else they had ever met. Oddly, my path crossed with Turner’s numerous times. We both live in Los Angeles, and on at least five different occasions we would run into each other at clubs or special events around the city. He seemed like the kind of guy who was up for anything and had a great sense of adventure, especially as evidenced by his love and excellence at water-skiing and martial arts.

Last year during Comic-Con International in San Diego, I invited Michael Turner out to the CBR Yacht for an interview. He was happy to come out to the boat. His colleague and friend, Vince Hernandez, called me the Saturday afternoon the interview was scheduled to say they were running late, but were on their way. I went to the end of the dock to greet them and there, off in the distance, was Michael, Vince and a friend of theirs walking slowly towards our slip. They were walking slowly because Michael was on crutches, recovering from the latest round of surgeries and treatment. It was a hot day, but there was Michael, making his way to the boat with a smile on his face. His strength of will was truly inspirational.

The resulting interview was a wonderfully sweet one. I remember talking with him about his comics, his covers, his health and much more. After the interview he and his crew hung out on the boat for a while, enjoying the calm moment away from the convention with a soda and good conversation.

Sadly, that video interview never made it on to the site (not for anything to do with Michael or the content of the interview), but we’ll make sure that video is encoded this week and published in his memory and so that all of you can see what sort of man Turner was.

Turner’s fight with cancer was truly inspirational. He fought it with dignity and grace.
More details concerning Turner’s passing are forthcoming. Those wishing to send their condolences to Michael Turner's family are encouraged to send them to:

Aspen MLT, Inc.
C/O Michael Turner
5855 Green Valley Circle, Suite 111
Culver City, CA, 90230

Aspen Comics also encourages anyone wishing to make a charitable donation in Turner’s name can do so to his requested charities, The American Cancer Society or The Make-A-Wish Foundation

CBR extends it’s heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Michael Turner. He’ll be sorely missed.

FanBoyWonder Film Review—Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-06-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

Next to apple pie and baseball, there’s nothing more pure American than Indiana Jones. Sure he’s a fictional film character but he’s an icon. FanBoyWonder practically grew up with Indy—having first saw the original Raiders of the Lost Arc on our 11th birthday in 1981.

So FanBoyWonder was quite pleased this past weekend when Brianna The Girl Wonder chose (with absolutely no influence from Grandpa FBW) to see Indiana Jones rather than Kung Fu Panda during our long-awaited movie time together. (Worry not, we’ll be taking her to see the martial arts panda sometime next week during our vacation).

More than anything else we wanted to share with her the experience of seeing an Indiana Jones movie in the theatre—the only way to see some classics.

Rated PG-13, there were a couple of times—especially during some particularly gruesome bad guy endings—that we questioned the wisdom of us taking a just turned 7-year-old to this movie.

To her credit, Brianna said she was scared at times—we figured that out when she jumped our lap and held on for dear life—but she was very proud of herself for seeing it and very glad she did it. Indy got a big thumbs up from The Girl Wonder—the highest of high praise indeed.

Here’s the Upshot from Paramount Pictures: “The newest Indiana Jones adventure begins in the desert Southwest in 1957 – the height of the Cold War. Indy (Harrison Ford) and his sidekick Mac (Ray Winstone) have barely escaped a close scrape with nefarious Soviet agents on a remote airfield.

“Now, Professor Jones has returned home to Marshall College – only to find things have gone from bad to worse. His close friend and dean of the college (Jim Broadbent) explains that Indy's recent activities have made him the object of suspicion, and that the government has put pressure on the university to fire him.

“On his way out of town, Indiana meets rebellious young Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), who carries both a grudge and a proposition for the adventurous archaeologist: If he'll help Mutt on a mission with deeply personal stakes, Indy could very well make one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in history – the Crystal Skull of Akator, a legendary object of fascination, superstition and fear.

“But as Indy and Mutt set out for the most remote corners of Peru – a land of ancient tombs, forgotten explorers and a rumored city of gold – they quickly realize they are not alone in their search. The Soviet agents are also hot on the trail of the Crystal Skull. Chief among them is icy cold, devastatingly beautiful Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), whose elite military unit is scouring the globe for the eerie Crystal Skull, which they believe can help the Soviets dominate the world... if they can unlock its secrets.

“Indy and Mutt must find a way to evade the ruthless Soviets, follow an impenetrable trail of mystery, grapple with enemies and friends of questionable motives, and, above all, stop the powerful Crystal Skull from falling into the deadliest of hands”.

In a word, this film was “cute.” We don’t mean that in a condescending way but rather we left the theater feeling good. It was a nice nostalgia trip for those of use around for the first adventure but an amusing tale for both veteran and newcomer alike.

It’s not exactly a light-hearted romp but the filmmakers closed the book one of the most beloved adventure serials with a wink, a nod and a crack of the whip.

This was the last chapter of Indiana Jones and he goes out with style. SPOILERS WARNING BELOW

While Harrison Ford looks great at 65, Team Indy was smart in not pretending that Dr. Jones was still the 30-something action hero. Indy acknowledged that it’s “not as easy as it used to be” but he never dwelled on his being the aging adventurer.

We were oddly reminded of the Batman from the Dark Knight Returns but in a decidedly lighter tone. Make no mistake, Indy may have many more miles on the odometer but he’s still one tough customer.

Our arse-kicking archeologist gives as good as he gets to those red commie bastards who—given that it’s 1957 during the hottest time of the Cold War—have replaced the Nazis has the bad guys.

Speaking of the Red Menace, Cate Blanchett was kind of cute (there’s that word again) as the sassy Soviet who at times is more than a match for our guy Indy. She wasn’t given much to work with but she managed to keep her near-cartoon of a character, Col. Dr. Irina Spalko, from digressing into a total imitation of Natasha—as in Boris’ other half from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (Is Grandpa FBW showing his age here????).

We are more aware of than familiar with her body of work, but Blanchett is an English actress (yeah we know she’s an Aussie but “English” as in the classic old school sense) so almost by definition she can phone in a role (which she seems to have done here) and still be as good or even better than the flavor of the month would-be starlet that Spielberg & Lucas recruited as the fem fatale during the last film—1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine the Indiana Jones from the original Raiders of the Lost Arc not only eating Comrade Spalko’s lunch but making her like it. But the 1957 Indy model has lost some of his edge—in every sense of the word.

It’s not just that he’s not as agile as he used to be but he’s—if not kinder and gentler—wary and worn-down. The world is changing around him and his professional accomplishments—as well as his record of service during “The War” (World War II) as “Col. Jones” for the OSS (the Office of Strategic Services—the counter-espionage predecessor to the CIA) doesn’t seem to count for much in this fearful new world of the Red Scare.

Professor Jones finds this out “at work” at Marshall College as J. Edger’s Bureau has concluded that Indy’s kidnap by the Soviets, their forcing him to help them break into and steal an alien (as in Extra-Terrestrial) body from Area 51 and his subsequent escape and his association with pal turned traitor Mac (Ray Winstone) of course make him guilty of being “a Red” and a security risk so they lean hard on the college to fire Dr. Jones.

It falls to the dean of the college and Indy’s friend Charles Stanforth (Jim Broadbent) to break the news. Broadbent’s character takes the place as Indy’s academic colleague and confident Marcus Brody, who like the actor who played him, the late Denholm Elliott, has passed away.

We learn that in recent years Indy has also lost his father Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery who remains very much alive but who passed on coming out of retirement for what would have been a cameo for the film).

Stanforth points out to his friend and to the audience that Indy has reached the point of life where life takes away more than it gives back.

Jim Broadbent does a good job as Indy’s loyal friend in ever treacherous academia but he’s no Marcus Brody.

In a touch that we most enjoyed, the script remembered Brody’s character and placed his image prominently in a couple of scenes—including a laugh out loud moment with a statue of Brody and the bad guys on campus.

Henry Sr. and Marcus Brody were important characters in Indiana Jones’ life and it impressed us to no end that the script not only did NOT contradict (to the best of our knowledge) events of the previous films but it actively sought to incorporate Indy’s history into this film.

Here character continuity was Job One—two thumbs up guys.

We especially liked seeing more than just a tease of how “Professor Jones” lives. Shot on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, FanBoyWonder’s old college stomping grounds (New Haven, NOT Yale) and dressed up to look like 1957 anywhere U.S.A.. We tell ya, the Elm City never looked so good us.

It’s not too long after the introduction of the Rebel Without A Clue young Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) that a wacky chase with Indy on the back of Mutt’s Harley ensues as those darned Reds want the map that Mutt has just given Indy in exchange for Indy’s help finding Mutt’s mother Marion.

It was actually quite thrilling to watch the chase though the timeless campus of Yale and onto Chapel Street.

It’s takes longer into the movie than it should have to for Indy to realize that “Marion” is Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) his love interest from the very first movie and that Mutt is actually Henry Jones III—but don’t call him “Junior.”

It’s good to see Karen Allen again. The years have been quite well to her and she actually had a couple of significant action things to do, although they could have and should have found more for her in the film.

We learn that Indiana ditched Marion a week before their wedding (damn fool) BEFORE he learned that she was preggers. So she moved to England and married another man to raise Indy’s baby—Mutt. Yet even though he left her at the alter, Indy has carried a torch for Marion all these years.

It would have helped to actually have Indy and Marion spend more time together on screen as they weren’t quite able to re-capture the chemistry they shared onscreen during the original Raiders given the time constraints.

Nonetheless, Marion’s return brings the Indy franchise full circle and we never thought that the other Indiana Jones films were quite as good without her.

What is the treasure that Indy and company are chasing? It almost doesn’t matter as we were just so damn glad to see everyone again but as soon as we saw Area 51 and heard about Roswell, we knew it would be aliens.

Indy and company must return the Crystal Skull to it’s temple of origin in South America in order to rescue the mind family friend and Mutt’s surrogate father Professor Herald “Ox” Oxley (John Hurt) and try to stay ahead of the evil Soviets for good measure.

Three guesses how that return of the Crystal Skull turns out and the first two don’t count.

The film wraps up back at Marshall College with wedding bells. Twenty years and four films later, Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. and Marion finally tie the knot and it was cute (yes that word again). It really was like watching two old friends march off together into the sunset.

When we asked her afterward what her favorite part of the movie was, Brianna The Girl Wonder answered immediately. “The wedding.”

In a bit of shameless commercialism, Lucas & Spielberg leave the door WIDE open to continue the franchise with Mutt Jones but as far as we’re concerned this is the end of the line for Indy and he went out in the best way possible—leaving us wanting more.

Thanks so much for the ride…. “Junior”.